Biography of Dolph Briscoe, Governor of Texas From 1973 to 1979

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Recommended: The Context of Texas Politics chapter 1

In this paper I will highlight one of the governors of Texas. Dolph Briscoe was the governor of Texas from 1973 to 1979. Not only was he a governor, he was also one of the largest individual land owners in Texas history. This in a state known for huge ranches. His philanthropy has provided support to a wide range of educational, medical, scientific, and cultural institutions. In this paper I hope to provide a little insight in to how much this man has impacted the evolution of Texas.

Dolph Briscoe Jr. was born in Uvalde, Texas in 1923. He was the son of a self-made cattle rancher and a direct descendant of Andrew Briscoe. Andrew Briscoe was one of the original signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence. Briscoe graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1942. He subsequently enlisted in the U.S. Army during World War II. This is where he served in the China-Burma-India theater. He married, his wife, Betty Jane "Janey" Slaughter in 1942 and they had three children. The couple went on to become the largest single landholders in the state of Texas. And they did this in the state that is big on ranches. They amassed over 640,000 acres in this great state.

Dolph Briscoe was elected to the Texas State Legislature in 1949. He was also a strong proponent of building the state's farm-to-market roads. This was an important development for rural Texas. He left the legislature in 1957 where he devote more time to the family business. Quickly becoming one of the state's leading ranchers and president of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association. Dolph Briscoe was active in the Democratic Party of Texas throughout the 1950s and the 1960s.

After the infamous Sharpstown scandal, Dolph Briscoe was...

... middle of paper ...

...tory of this great state to. Dolph and his legacy will live on in Texas for many years and some of the policies and procedures that he established will be transferred down from one governor to the next. Even if it changed a bit here and there, those policies will be basis for Texas’s governors and politicians in the future. This has been a glimpse of a truly great man in the history of Texas. This was a surprising and refreshing revelation to find that at least some part of our American history was a grand memory. This is in contrast to some of the great tragedies in Texas’ history.

Works Cited

About Dolph Briscoe. Briscoe Center for American History, n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2014. .

Carleton, Don, comp. Dolph Briscoe My Life in Texas Ranching and Politics. Austin: UTT, 2008. Print.

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